No Longer a Game

Chapter 25 - Captives

Christie woke from her dreamless sleep with someone kicking her hard in her side. She groaned in pain as another kick landed on her belly and she tried to bring her hands down to shield herself but her arms moved only a little before they were stopped. She looked up and saw she was chained to a wooden wall. She looked over at the figure that had kicked her to see it now kicking Lou awake. Christie tried to cast a spell but when her words came out they were all jumbled and confusing.

"Don't bother." A female voice said in the drow language. "Your spells won't work neither those of the human wizard. That collar around your neck prevents any spells from being cast."

Christie heard Lou moan in pain as he was kicked awake and then the male drow moved to Rain to wake her and then she looked around the small room where she saw Jason and Ahira as well and all of them chained to the wall made of some strange black wood. Panic set in when she did not see Natalie or Nalfal. She turned her head to look at the drow female.

"Where are the others?" She asked.

The priestess of Lolth smiled at her, "The drow male is dead but the moon elf female is alive. I am keeping her elsewhere."

"Why?"

The scarred drow laughed, "You are drow even if you betrayed your own kin and our goddesses."

That was all Christie needed to be told about Natalie's fate as well as her own and that of her friends. She struggled against the iron chains and kicked her feet at the drow before her.

"You leave her alone!" Christie screamed as she flailed her feet wildly.

The drow female laughed and grabbed a handful of Christie's hair and pulled her head back hard. Christie let out a whimper of pain but still struggled against the chains. The priestess of Lolth raised her hand, made a fist, and slammed it into Christie's cheek and mouth; the force of the blow drove her teeth into her bottom lip and blood sprayed over the walls and floor. Christie was dazed as the female drow pulled her head back by her hair again and moved her face close to Christie's.

"You are in no position to make demands, traitor whore."

The priestess slammed Christie's head against the wood wall and stood erect. "You pet moon elf will live for now, but I imagine she will wish she was dead before we reach Sshamath." The drow turned to the male who had kicked everyone awake. "Nathry, make sure you feed the lizards before we set out again." She turned back to Christie and smiled, "Add the drow male to the meal."

"Yes, Talshal." The male smiled back and left.

"We have five days travel to Sshamath so I suggest you all make yourselves comfortable." Talshal laughed as she also left. "Any more back talk and I'll feed the half breed bitch to our mounts."

Christie once again started to struggle against the chains and her hard struggles made the iron shackles cut into her wrists and bleed.

"Christie, stop! You're going to hurt yourself." Rain pleaded. "Natalie's alive. It's going to be ok."

Christie turned her head to the half elf and spit out a mouthful of blood. "Going to be ok? Do you know what the fuck is going to happen?" She asked rhetorically in English. "Let me break it down to you...to all of you. If you are lucky they will kill you quick, but I doubt that. Rain and Jason they may make as slaves and the way the drow treat their slaves makes it seem like the slaves in the Old South were treated like queens and kings. Ahira is a dwarf and they make terrible slaves so they may just kill him but I doubt that also; I suspect whatever house captured us the Matron Mother will turn him into a drider. Lou is a human wizard and a strong one so him they will experiment on and do what they can to him to get whatever knowledge they can of surface magic from him and it won't be pleasant. Me...well I know what is going to happen to me; they will sacrifice me to Lolth. A drow female traitor who serves Eilistraee will bring great honor to their house and favor of Loth."

Christie paused and took a few deep breaths. "Natalie will get the worse. Oh they will keep her alive as we were told, that's for sure; but she is a moon elf and a female moon elf at that so the drow will see that as a great honor and receive great favor from Lolth when they sacrifice her...but that is when we get back whatever city they are from. Before we get there they are going to torture Natalie. Drow hate every other race there is...even their own kind...but of all the races they hate it's the surface elves and moon elves in particular they hate the most. They blame moon elves for every misery they have suffered and will suffer. That hate is branded into their minds from the day they are born." Christie took a deep breath and choked back a sob, "five days...five days of torture you cannot even imagine is what they are going to do to Natalie."

"We'll get out of here somehow." Jason said in a groggy voice.

Ahira tested the chains with his great strength but they held firm. "These shackles are strong...I can't break them."

"What about going berserk?" Rain asked. "Could you do it then?"

"Yes then I could break them but this is not like the game, Rain, where I roll a twenty sided die and if the numbers come up I need I go berserk. This is real and I need to get angry...very angry."

"And us being chained to a fucking wall by drow and the thought of Natalie being tortured does not make you angry!" Christie shouted.

"I fucking tried, Christie! I was awake before any of you and I tried. I am angry now but just can't get the anger I need. Maybe a dwarf going berserk is not real and it's just in the game."

"But if we do get out, then what?" Lou asked. "Nalfal is dead and he was our guide to the portal. Without him we don't know where the portal is. Hell without him we don't even fucking know how to get back to the surface." Lou's voice rose in frustration and panic.

"Ok...fuck...everyone clam down. One problem at a time and right now our problem is here and how to escape." Jason told them. "Any idea on where we might be...I mean in a drow out post or what?"

Christie shook her head, "No I think we are in some type of wagon. The drow female mentioned lizards and mounts and drow train giant lizards for mounts and draft animals."

"Ok that's actually good news. If we are traveling that means the drow who captured us may not be a large group." Jason told them.

"Maybe, depends if this is a trading party, a raiding party, or a full war party. For all we know there could be hundreds of drow out there."

"Well I for one would rather try and escape and take my chances against a hundred drow then being taken back to a city with several thousands." Rain said.

"I agree." Ahira nodded.

"Well we need to do something." Christie said.

The friends became quite and each one of them started to feel their despair. It was not long before they felt the wagons moving.

Later after several hours of travel they felt the wagon come to a stop and they were fed by a common drow soldier who gave them some type of foul tasting fungi and stagnant water. They had hopes maybe trying to escape when they were fed but the drow never unchained them. Not eating much the friends felt tired and soon drifted to sleep; Christie suspected the fungi was drugged to make them sleep or the mushroom itself was some form of sleep drug.

Natalie awoke and found herself chained to a wood wall made of black planks. She was naked except for an iron collar around her neck that she knew had been enchanted. The spells in her head seemed confused and mixed up and she knew that casting one would be useless. She looked around the room and saw she was alone and fear set in; fear of being alone, fear of being chained to a wall, and fear that her friends were killed. She started to cry and looked up as the door to the room opened and in walked a female drow with a hideous disfigured face. The face had a white tattoo of a spider web that tried to hide the scars, it did not work.

"Good you are finally awake. Your friends woke hours ago before we stopped to make camp." The drow said in common tongue.

"Who...who are you? Where am I? Where...where are my friends?" Natalie asked.

"None of that is important except for whom I am. I am Talshal, First Daughter of House Phaedra Third House of Sshamath and a Priestess of Lolth." The drow said proudly.

Talshal walked closer to Natalie and grabbed her hair and pulled her to her knees. Natalie whimpered in pain as she was roughly handled and her knees got cut on the wood floor and her arms stretched behind her causing her shoulder to ache. The drow pulled the elf's head up and forced her to look at her. Natalie tried to flinch back and she cried out in fear when she saw the prongs of the whip the drow had at her belt uncoil from her waist and then snake heads extended out and flicked their forked tongues over Natalie's face. Natalie started panting in short deep breaths.

"Oh my pets seem to like you." Talshal laughed. "Don't worry they only strike when I command it. So you know what they are?"

Natalie tried to shake her head and the drow pulled her hair harder and slapped her face. The priestess pulled the handle of the whip to put it in her hand and the bodies of the three snakes coiled around her right arm affectionately.

"This is called the Fangs of Lolth given only to the priestess of Lolth who are in high favor of the Spider Queen." She reached out and caressed the black head of one of the snakes. "This one injects a deadly venom that will kill instantly." She petted the red headed snake, "This one injects a venom that fills the blood and is so painful you will wish you were dead," She petted the last one, a green snake, "and this one will put its victim into a deep sleep. But don't worry; I prefer the older forms of torture."

Talshal yelled in the drow language and two male drow entered the room. The younger wore Rain's curved blades at his waist. Natalie looked at the males with terror in her eyes.

"No...no please...no...not that!" She begged.

The drow female laughed, "Stupid bitch, they are not going to rape you. They would not even consider it with a filthy surface elf."

The drow males laughed and unchained Natalie and dragged her out of the room, which Natalie noticed was a wagon when she got outside. Natalie tried to struggle but after a hard blow to her stomach from one of the male drow she stopped. They bound her hands in thick rope made of a black silk material and then placed her hands over her head and put the slack of the rope on an iron hook. The young male drow placed a dirty cloth in her mouth.

"No, I want to hear her scream." The drow female told him.

"But she will be heard and it will attract hook horrors of some other creature." The male drow objected. He took a few steps back when the priestess slapped his face.

"Do you think I am a fool, brother!" Talshal yelled at him. "I have been leading raids and trade caravans before you were even born! I cast a silence spell over the area and posted guards. Only ones who will hear her screams are us...and her friends." The priestess ginned.

The drow stepped forward and removed the gag and even managed a smile when two other drow pulled on the rope hard and fast and Natalie was hoisted in the air with her arms above her head. She screamed in pain as her shoulders were dislocated. The drow laughed at her. Natalie was spun around by the male to face Talshal and she noticed another drow walking toward her, this one a male and wearing wizard robes.

"Please...please don't hurt me anymore." Natalie begged as she cried.

Talshal again pulled her hair, "Don't hurt you? Where's the enjoyment in that? Don't worry I won't kill you...yet. When we get back to Sshamath I will place you on the altar of Lolth and sacrifice you myself along with that traitor bitch, but for now I am going to entertain myself."

"Talshal, Matron Leseyna will want her unharmed for the sacrifice." The wizard drow told his sister.

"Do not think to lecture me on what our mother wants, Ulvrin! You are getting more disobedient of late and maybe I need to remind you of your place, male!" Talshal yelled angrily at her brother.

Ulvrin bowed, "No, Priestess Talshal, forgive me, I was just pointing out our mother would want her unharmed."

"I know that, stupid male! I intend on having my fun and then healing her back." She turned to face Natalie, "Something we will repeat every time we make camp to rest until we get home."

"Please...don't...I...I will do anything...please." Natalie pleaded.

"Anything? I don't want anything from you, surface bitch, but your screams of pain." Talshal laughed.

The drow walked to a table and picked up an ugly curved blade. Natalie saw on the table other blades of various sizes and shapes, some cruel plyer like objects, and a small brazier holding red hot coals, a cat of nine tails with steel barbed hooks wove into the leather "tails", and handles of objects protruding from it. The elf started kicking her feet and screaming as the drow female approached her and held the knife to her right breast.

"I told you I like the older forms of torture. They are crude but so enjoyable. We will start slow." She slashed the blade over Natalie's breast cutting deep and Natalie screamed out once more.

The other drow who gathered around to watch were highly amused by Natalie's agony.

Natalie's friends heard her first scream and Christie started pulling on the chains and kicking her feet, yelling Natalie's name. Ahira once again tried to build up the anger he felt at hearing his friend being tortured as he tried to go into a berserker rage but he could not. Rain looked at Jason and stated crying as the paladin tried to comfort the half elf with tear filled eyes. Lou closed his eyes and covered his ears but he still heard the elf's screams. They had to helplessly listen to Natalie scream over and over. They did not know how long they heard the elf but it felt like hours.

"Fucking do something!" Christie yelled at Ahira as they heard Natalie scream again this time much louder. "Fuck even now after listening to her you can't go berserk!"

"I am fucking trying!" Ahira yelled back.

Natalie screamed again and Christie once again struggled and the shackles cut into her wrists making them bleed.

"Oh God, please...please just let her die. Please dear God show her mercy and let her die." Lou muttered as he brought his legs up to his chin and buried his head between them.

Natalie was thrown onto the floor of the wagon; her body bleeding and broken. Talshal had tortured her for hours and each time she felt she was going to pass out the drow priestess used a minor healing spell on her. The spell did nothing to ease any of the pain she felt but was just enough to keep her conscious and alive.

She struggled to move but her dislocated shoulders did not obey her. She bled from many deep cuts on her chest, stomach, face, and thighs. Her buttocks, the backs of her thighs and her back were in agonizing pain where Talshal used the cat of nine tails and the hooked barbs dug into her skin with each strike and when the drow priestess pulled the flogger back the hooks ripped and stripped her flesh to the muscle and bone. She tried to crawl but her fingers and feet were to sore from where her finger and toe nails used to be. She rolled to her back but screamed when she felt the incredible pain between her legs where Talshal had inserted a red hot coal into her sex. Natalie prayed to her God to let her just die but as he turned his back on her when she was young He did so now and as she sobbed on the wagon floor in pain she thought was inconceivable anyone could feel. She did not know how long she lay there before she passed out.

Natalie was woken later by Talshal who completely healed her wounds and her body looked as if she had not even a scratch and the pain was just an awful memory. The drow chained her back to the wall and forced water and food down her throat. She stood and looked over the whimpering elf.

"Your screams gave me much enjoyment. We shall play again tomorrow night." Talshal laughed as she left the wagon.

The next morning the drow made preparations to continue their journey home. The camp was packed with efficiently, the giant gecko looking lizards the drow trained were attached to the two wagons, and within minutes the drow party of twenty soldiers, the priestess, and her two brothers were ready to depart.

"Captain," Talshal addressed one of the drow soldiers. "I want you to take ten of you men on the mounts and hurry to the city and inform Matron Leseyna of the prizes we have captured."

"Of course, Mistress." The captain said and hurried to pick ten of his soldiers.

"Is that wise, sister? To split our forces." Ulvrin asked her.

"We still have ten house soldiers and you and your brother and myself. We can handle any trouble we may come across. Besides I was thinking we will take the north east route. It would be quicker with the wagons."

"Are you determined to get us killed, Talshal? The north east route takes us to close to the city of Blingdenstone."

Talshal looked at her brother, "What do we have to fear from the svirfneblin? They are weak." She paused and gave the mage a thoughtful look. "But perhaps your concerns are justified. Take two soldiers and scout the area and report back to me. If you come across any of the dirty rock worshippers do not engage them but report back to me. Maybe we can gather some for slaves on the way home."

"Yes, sister." Ulvrin turned.

"Oh and Ulvrin, take our brother Nathry with you. This is his first raid and he is young and needs to learn. Tell him to pay attention to how the scouts work and to listen to them."

Ulvrin bowed, "Yes, sister."

Ulvrin, Nathry, and the house soldiers had scouted the passageway of their new route a few miles ahead of the main party when the young drow Nathry stumbled to the ground and grabbed his ankle crying out in pain. He had twisted his foot on some rocks and Ulvrin turned back to look at him in disgust.

"I don't know why our mother sent you on this raid." He snarled back at his younger brother. "You are useless." Ulvrin turned to the two other drow, "Scout ahead until the tunnel splits away from the svirfneblin city and return to us; I'll wait with my stupid brother for your return and then we will make out way back."

The soldiers nodded and disappeared into the passage. Ulvrin walked back to his brother to help him stand and Nathry leaned against him for support.

"Our sister is and idiot to bring us this close to Blingdenstone." Ulvrin said after the soldiers were gone. "The svirfneblin may be weak they are many and if they have any scouts in the area...ARGH!"

The older drow male suddenly screamed out when Nathry plunged one of the knives he stole from Rain deep into his older brothers lower back. Ulvrin tuned and gave the other drow a questionable look as his brother lowered him to the stone floor.

"Sorry, brother, but our sister feels you are too loyal to our mother." Nathry said with a grin.

"Ugh...you are bo...both fools...Talshal will...will de...destroy our house." Ulvrin said weakly.

"She will strengthen our house and soon we will be strong enough to conquer House Nathaste and we will be Second House of Sshamath." Nathry smiled down, "And now I am First Boy of House Phaedra."

Nathry leaned down and cut his brother's throat. He could feel the power of the knife as it took the life from the other drow. He smiled after he wiped the blade on Ulvrin's robe and held the knife up.

"Oh, I like you." He grinned and sheathed the kukri he stole from the half elf.

Nathry stood erect, his injured ankle a farce, and waited for the scouts to return. When the other two drow males made it back to him they looked at the corpse of the drow wizard and shrugged. Murder was a common thing among the drow noble families as a form of advancement and as long as there were no witnesses to the act there was no punishment, quite the contrary, for while it was not spoken about if the murder went unwitnessed then it was to be congratulated. When noble families fought within their own house, the common soldiers did not intervene; they had no loyalties to whoever was in charge; it was the house they served and if things went badly they would often desert and go serve another house. The female house soldier looked at the male one and shrugged, after all he was just a male anyway.